


Babygirl College

by MommyMaleficent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Crying, F/F, Non-Sexual Age Play, Secrets, Self-Acceptance, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Indulgent, Temper Tantrums, keeping secrets, little Emma, mommy Regina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-12-11 13:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11715174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MommyMaleficent/pseuds/MommyMaleficent
Summary: On her first day of Storybrooke’s new BDSM Community College, a sensitive Emma makes an unlikely friend in her tablemate, Regina Mills. Outside of class, there’s always the stigma going to such a school inevitably entails, and because of that, it’s possible she hasn’t told her parents yet.Thank God for supportive roommates.**HIATUS**





	1. Chapter 1

Emma wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and forces down a few breaths.

_You’re okay. Really. There’s no need to cry. There will be plenty of time to cry later. At home. In bed. It’s okay._

She sighs in relief when she sees the door to room ABC174 is still open, and she sprints to it with her old red backpack. Not that she’s eager for the lectures—in fact she’s kind of dreading them—but now she can pat herself on the back and say she actually attended her first class on her first day of college at the age of twenty-eight.

If only she could tell her parents.

The classroom is small, but big at the same time. There are lots of bright colors everywhere with posters and a big blue supply closet in the back, and a thingy of cubby holes right by the window, just like a real classroom in an elementary school. There are even doors on each side of the room that connect to other classrooms. Unlike in high school, the entire floor is carpet once again, and colorful carpet too, and the chairs are not just a boring old dark blue, but red and green and yellow and sky blue. The letters of the alphabet in upper and lowercase line the space above the joint whiteboard, and the professor, a young woman with long wavy brown hair, is writing a welcome message on the right side of it.

There are also still plenty of chairs to choose from, but Emma takes a seat in a pretty yellow one at the front of the classroom, right next to a woman with short, curly dark hair in red clothes and lipstick already sitting in the blue chair. Emma gives her a small, friendly smile, but the woman doesn’t even turn to look at her. She sits prim and proper and still, quietly reading the words as the teacher writes them, ignoring Emma completely.

Stupid lady. Emma looks away. The lump in her throat comes back, and she swallows again.

_Don’t cry. It’s okay. Not everyone is going to be nice at first, and that’s okay. They’re probably just as scared as you. Hurt feelings are okay, but you can’t cry every single time you’re hurt. Be a big girl now. Be good._

She wipes her eyes again and reads the words the professor wrote on the whiteboard in pink and purple and blue and green. Each color gets its very own little sentence in just that color, and that makes Emma happy.

 

Good morning, everyone!

Thank you for stopping by my classroom today.

Welcome to Littles & Caregivers 101!

My name is Lucille, but you can call me Lucy :)

I will be your teacher for the next eleven (11) weeks!

By the end of the quarter, I hope we will all have become one big family! ❤️

 

Lucy is a very pretty woman who looks just a little older than Emma, maybe in her mid-thirties at most. She’s wearing a flowing pink skirt that goes down to her ankles. It has flowers on it, and she’s also wearing a soft green shirt to match. She always has a smile on her face, one Emma can tell she isn’t making up. Lucy loves her job, and when she smiles every day, she means it.

A _briiiiiiiing_ sound comes from her computer, and Lucy turns it off without looking. She dusts off her hands and goes to close the door until there is just a crack left open. Now there are far fewer seats left, and Emma is glad she isn’t late. She got a good seat, in a nice color, even if her tablemate isn’t a friendly one.

But she _is_ pretty.

Lucy claps her hands. “Good morning, everyone. How are we today?”

Everyone mumbles their answers, including Emma, and Lucy repeats a few she hears.

“Good? Tired? Yeah, I know where you’re coming from. It took me quite a bit to get up this morning too. But let’s start class by doing a little exercise. So, everyone, stand up...”

Some people chuckle as they get up, but most just mumble to themselves or to their neighbors. Emma doesn’t. The woman next to her doesn’t look like the talking type. She seems very serious and possibly scary.

“I want you to find a partner—turn to the closest person near you and introduce yourself to them. If you have trouble finding one, please raise your hand!”

Emma turns to the woman beside her before she takes a look around. There is a good amount of people here today, but one girl in the back raises her hand. Lucy calls her over and makes the girl her partner.

“Okay, now, I want the person who’s younger to introduce themselves first. Please tell your partner your name, what your favorite color is, and why you are in this class. Ready? Go!”

“How old are you?” the woman asks right away as the chatter starts, eyeing Emma up and down. Emma smiles nervously.

“Twenty-eight. You?” She makes sure to guess a little lower than she thinks. This woman looks thirty-four, so she’ll say thirty-two.

“Thirty-five.” Oooh, close. The woman smiles a very pretty smile. “Guess that means you go first.”

Emma giggles and looks down at the floor. She’s shy now, put on the spot like that. “Okay. Uhhh, hi,” she waves, looking up again, “I’m Emma. Swan. Emma Swan. My favorite color is yellow—” she indicates to her chair, “—and the reason I’m in this class...” She frowns. “The reason is, uh...” Swallows. Why won’t the words come out? “I just...”

“Take your time, dear.”

“Thanks—I mean, I-I, well, see...”

Why can’t she tell the truth now? That the lie, because not saying something is technically a lie, is eating away at her. That she’s just a dumb baby who wants a mommy to love her and love back and to be happy with herself for once? Where is all her courage?

“I—”

“All right, stop right there!” Lucy says loudly over the sea of voices.

Emma hides her face in her hands. Stupid dumb pudding! Dumb! She resists the urge to stomp her feet, and manages to smile and laugh off her embarrassment as she folds her arms in front of her chest. She can feel her cheeks and ears growing hot as blood rushes to her face. The woman smiles at her again, more softer this time when she looks at her. She understands.

It’s time to switch.

The woman nods. “Regina Mills. It’s nice to meet you, Emma. My favorite color is blue...” She rests a hand on her chair. “But not this blue. A darker, more midnight color. And I’m here in this class because...” She looks away, and for a moment, Emma thinks Regina is going to cry. When she looks at her again, there are definite tears in her eyes. Emma knows that look well.

“Take your time, Regina,” she says softly. Regina swallows.

“My son, Henry, he... he passed away recently. I’m here because I thought this would be a productive way of handling my grief. By nurturing others. I have a lot of mother left in me, and I figure I might as well keep my skills well-honed just in case, you know?” She cracks a smile and Emma returns her efforts with a nod and a smile of her own.

Regina’s reason makes so much more sense than hers.

_Wow, you’re so selfish._

Emma smiles a little brighter while Regina hugs herself and looks down at her shoes. She even dares to put an hand on her arm, and Regina looks up at her. She still looks sad but now also surprised.

“You’re gonna do great.” Emma says.

Lucy stops them again. It’s time for the next exercise.

* * *

For the next activity, Lucy makes them move all the tables and chairs to opposite sides of the room, on their left and right. They’re going to use the front and back ends of the classroom. Lucy has them all stand in the middle in one big cluster, getting really close together.

Emma squeezes close to Regina, and shares another smile. This time, Regina acknowledges her and smiles back.

Perched on the edge of her teacher’s desk, Lucy sits cross-legged at the knees holding up a piece of paper.

“For this little game, we are going to sort you into categories. Go towards the idea you find most appealing, okay? The first statement, I want you to go to the very back if you agree. Ready?”

“Yeah,” everyone choruses. Lucy smiles.

“Okay, we’ll start with something simple: I am a morning person.” A few people edge toward the back. “If you are a night person, come towards the front. If you are a _night_ person, come towards the front.”

Regina heads for the front. Emma stays put, along with about four other people. Lucy notices, and asks why they chose to stay in the middle. A girl with long auburn hair and purple barrettes raises her hand.

“Night is dark, and I’m not comfortable not being able to see, but morning is too early and that’s when everyone forces their expectations on you for the day.”

Lucy laughs. “So you like day because you can see, and you can get away from people if they ask too much of you too early?” The girl nods. “Thank you for sharing, sweetie. What’s your name?”

“Aurora, like the princess.”

“Well, thank you, Aurora. That was very brave of you. Anyone else want to share? These are your personal feelings; there is no wrong answer.”

Emma looks about her some more. She likes day because everything happens during it. Lucy asks a few more people from the morning and night groups before everyone meets back in the middle and they go again.

The statements go more in-depth, and soon narrow into what they would be studying in class—namely what it means to be little, and what it means to be a caregiver. Regina is never in the same group with her when it comes to either end of the classroom, but every now and again she will stay in the middle. As the exercise goes on, Emma finds herself more on either end than simply standing there too like a dummy.

“To the back—I have a strong desire to be nurtured like a little child. And in the front—I have a strong desire to nurture others.”

Regina walks very slowly to the front, but she touches the empty white board when she reaches the end. Emma, on the other hand, toes the line between the middle and the very back, still inching towards it bit by bit once everyone settles in their places.

“Blonde girl with the long curls,” Lucy calls gently, and Emma freezes. Oh, no. “You look like you’re stuck. What’s your reason for choosing the back? Remember, there are no wrong answers, love, so don’t you worry about right or wrong.”

Emma swallows. “I... isn’t it obvious?” Lucy nods for her to go on. Emma’s green eyes dart to Regina, and then dart back to Lucy. “I-I’m not... I just... like it? I’m not sure how much depth I really want to go into when it comes to being little in practice, but I know I like the concept well enough to... participate willingly? If that makes sense?”

“Wow, that’s a good answer...” someone says from behind her, and Emma smiles to herself. That _was_ a pretty good answer. Regina is smiling again when she looks to her, and there might be a hint of pride to her face. Lucy seems to agree, and doesn’t press further.

Emma’s answer concludes the activity, and they all move their desks and chairs back. She sighs in relief.

“Very good job,” Regina says when they have their table in order again. Emma blushes and mumbles a thank you.

* * *

Now that they have a good feel for their own personal tastes and opinions, Lucy asks everyone to bring out something to write with and something to write on. On the top, they are going to write their name, their little age if they have one, and the date. The rest of the page will be for rules for themselves to follow, rules for their potential caregiver or little, a list of punishments for themselves, and a list of rewards for themselves. They have five minutes, and while they are doing that, she brings out a bunch of pastel-colored paper, and markers, and crayons, and colored pencils from the big blue supply closet at the back next to the back door.

“Remember, these are not set in stone,” says Lucy as she slowly walks around the classroom, “Every rule, reward, and punishment has the potential to change over time, and that’s perfectly normal. In fact, expect it to happen at least once. You yourself change all the time, and your lists should reflect what you want or need, who you are at the moment. Some people will disagree with you, but that’s okay too. Not everyone shares the same wants, right? But disagreeing doesn’t have to be a hurtful affair on the part of the disagree-er. You can be nice about it... hopefully.”

She talks in a low, sweet, soothing voice Emma wishes she could fall asleep to. She writes her lists quick, making sure her handwriting isn’t too big a mess so no one can read it. Once or twice Emma peeks at Regina’s paper, and she finds neat cursive handwriting, all four lists each separated by skipping a line, and a pretty even number of things on each one. Meanwhile, Emma’s paper only has two rules for her caregiver, five rewards, and eight punishments. She has a good amount of rules for herself, though. Ten is a good, even number.

She predicts Lucy is going to make them get a partner and talk about their lists, and she isn’t the only one to think so. When Regina finishes, she looks at the teacher, and then at Emma, her list already in her hand so Emma can’t read it. Emma folds hers in half.

“What do you think the papers and stuff are for?” Emma asks, tilting her head to the supplies Lucy has laid out on the table beside her desk.

Regina gives them a glance. “I think she’ll want us to compare notes and write down the rules, rewards and punishments we agree on. Assuming we get paired up again, those will be our guidelines.”

Emma isn’t sure if she’s talking about them specifically, or if Regina is generalizing, but she doesn’t ask. She looks around the room again, noticing the buzz of conversation as people are finishing up their papers, and peeks at her own lists again. Her tummy drops. She doesn’t want to read hers anymore. She wants to throw it away. But stomp on it first. Then throw it away.

Everything just sounds so stupid.

The teacher is right next to her when she claps her hands for everyone’s attention. Emma jumps the first time she claps since she doesn’t expect it, and both Regina and Lucy, once she realizes it, pat her shoulders, and Lucy apologizes for scaring her. She moves back toward the front of the classroom.

To Emma’s comfort, Regina’s hand is still on her shoulder, even when Lucy starts to speak. She rubs it a little, and Emma sighs contently as she unlocks it. When Regina deems her calmed down enough, she takes her hand away.

“All right! Now that you’ve had time to write down a few things, it’s time to find a partner and share your lists one at a time. Then, when everyone has had a chance to read through their list, we’re going to move around and pair you up, caregiver and little together, okay? After we have our official pairs, I’ll introduce myself a little more, hand out the syllabus, and then it’ll be time to go. Are we ready?”

“Yeah!” everyone choruses, some more enthusiastic than others. Emma whispers her yes.

Youngest person starts again. Lucy sets her timer for another five minutes. They could choose how they want to share, whether they want to read or just give it to the other person to read instead. Emma hides her mouth behind hers, and Regina doesn’t ask to see it.

Regina crosses her legs at the knee, and puts her piece of paper face down on the desk.

“Whenever you’re ready, Emma. I’m all ears.”

Emma takes a deep breath.

_Here goes nothing._


	2. Chapter 2

She opens up her folded paper and clears her throat. Around her, everyone else is already going.

“So my rules are...” Wait. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all. Emma bites her lip. “Actually, do you want to read them?”

Regina blinks. “However you want to tell me is fine, Emma. Would you be more comfortable if I read them myself?”

Emma nods, shyly handing her paper over with both hands. “I’m sorry about my handwriting...” she says softly when Regina flips the page rightside up so she could read it.

“It’s fine. Let’s see... Little age two to five...” murmurs Regina. Her eyes dart left to right and back again very quickly, eating up every loop and curve. “Shall I...” She trails off again, brow furrowing as she looks up. “Your own rules are fine, but your rules for a caregiver are few and very broad. ‘Love me,’ and ‘be nice’ can mean so many things. How do you want your caregiver to show their love, Emma, and what does being nice mean to you?”

Even though Regina’s questions are very reasonable and very helpful, Emma bites back the lump in her throat once again.

_Stop it. She’s only trying to help you. Why are you such a crybaby?_

She takes her paper back and stares at the words.

 

Caregiver’s Rules 

  1. Please love me.
  2. Please be nice to me.



 

The problem isn’t that Regina’s words hurt—they sting a little, but of course they would—the problem is Regina doesn’t understand, and now Emma has to explain things that she shouldn’t have to explain at all. She retreads the ones she made for herself while she’s at it.

 

My Rules 

  1. Words first. Worry next. Cry later.
  2. It’s okay to sleep by yourself. Or with your blankie.
  3. Eat at least two veggies a week.
  4. Shower daily. Wash hair twice a week. Bathe once a month.
  5. Clean room once a week.
  6. Do chores without being asked.
  7. Don’t bother roommates.
  8. Brush teeth well every night.
  9. Relax more. It’s okay to be comfy.
  10. Study. Pass classes. Be proud.



 

They don’t sound so stupid now that Regina says they’re okay. It’s just the caregiver ones. They’re as simple as they can be. How does Regina not understand? If she’s nice, and she loves, she’s following all Emma’s rules. It doesn’t matter _how_.

“Shall we go over your rewards and punishments?” Regina continues, her voice soft and gentle.

Emma nods without looking up. She starts to read off her rewards and punishments, but before she gets very far she sees Regina lean in from the corner of her eye. When they engage again, Regina chuckles nervously.

“I can’t hear you, Emma.” She indicates to the rest of the room, but they both know half the class talking at once isn’t really the problem.

_It’s me. You’re too nice to say it, but we both know it. I’m such a big mess I’ll probably cry about this too when I get home._

But she clears her throat and begins again, louder this time so Regina can hear.

“My rewards: one, extra sleep; two, extra sweets; three, no chores; four, Netflix and nap-slash-snuggle-slash-coloring, I guess; and five...” She lowers her voice a teeny tiny bit. “Mommy’s choice.”

That last one gets her an eyebrow raise, and Regina’s face softens. “Is that all?” She sounds disappointed there are so few, which is ironic considering that was her problem with Emma’s caregiver rules. Emma nods, and moves on.

“My punishments: one, warning and/or time out—corner or naughty step; two, no dessert; three, extra chores; four, no Netflix-slash-bedtime stories-slash-fun; five, grounded; six, spankings; seven, spankings and any of the above; and eight...”

Maybe eight isn’t the best idea to say to a grieving mother.

“What was the eighth one?” Regina asks. She cranes her neck to see while Emma scribbles it off her list.

Emma shakes her head. Even she knows a joke is in poor taste.

Regina’s eyes narrow, and her voice becomes deeper and warning. “Emma...” she intones, crossing her arms. She looks so much like an experienced mommy (because she was one) Emma gulps. “Please tell me what you just crossed out.”

“Thousand years of death...” Emma mumbles. Regina leans her ear to her. “A thousand years of pain!” Emma says a little louder, and immediately covers her mouth. It’s not loud enough to get everyone’s attention but it makes Regina lean back and stare at her quite shocked.

After a moment of not speaking, she just sighs and smiles sadly. “Henry loved that show. He made me watch a few episodes with him before he passed, and I remember that quote well.”

Emma folds up her paper again and smooths it out on her side of the desk. Baby though she might be, she knows when to stop it. “I’m sorry for your loss, Regina. Really. Losing a child is something no one should have to go through... and if you need someone to talk to about it—” But Regina shakes her head, gaze hardening once more. She places a hand over Emma’s and squeezes a little.

“Don’t trouble yourself. The whole point of my being here is so I can take my mind off of it.” Lucy’s timer rings again. “Leave the serious subjects for the therapist, Emma.”

Emma nods, but not because she agrees. If she did, she wouldn’t’ve offered. Maybe _she_ should see a therapist too.

Now it’s Regina’s turn, and she does not hold back. She doesn’t list the rules she has for herself, but Emma doesn’t mind. Maybe she’s not comfy with it right now. Every list has eight rules each, and she suspects Regina’s rules for herself are the same.

 

Regina’s Rules for Potential Littles

  1. Little ones must be clean. No exceptions.
  2. No sugar before bed. Times will be discussed.
  3. Please ask before taking what is not yours.
  4. I usually cook. Requests, reasonable ones, should be made at least one hour before lunch, and three before dinner. Only one meal request per day.
  5. No eating in the living room aside from special occasions. That is what the dining table is for.
  6. Excessive crying or whining will be swiftly dealt with. Use your words, please. But I will not tolerate swearing.
  7. If diapers are preferred, that’s fine. Be sure to tell me if stock is low before we run out. Same applies to pacifiers, bottles, bibs, sippy cups, and preferred food.
  8. You may address me as “Mommy” or “Mama,” but **NEVER** “Gina,” “Gia,” “Reg/gie,” or “Ms. Mills.” If you must use my name, Regina will more than do.



 

Emma winces at number six, and furrows her brow at the last. “So, I get the nicknames, but why not Ms. Mills? How do people call you when they’re being formal?”

“Ms. Mills is my mother, and we are quite estranged. I’d rather not be reminded.” But she cracks a smile nonetheless. “I correct them, in that case. Usually, they amend it to “Ms. Regina,” so I don’t mind.”

Regina’s rewards and punishments are probably little different to what she’s used to when she had her own little boy to mother, and it shows. A few of her rewards include: a glass of wine and a good book or show, a bubble bath, and trying new baking recipes. Her punishments, to name some, are creative: listen to one song from an album she hates (or a hated song from an album she likes), schedule non-important social meeting with people she needs to see more often, and do an extra set of whatever exercise she’s got going that day. No pain, no gain.

When she finishes reading over her lists, she looks to Emma for her thoughts, and any constructive criticism she has. Biting her lip, Emma rubs her arm awkwardly.

“Maybe you can finish out with your own rules? Or—just... you know, tell me which ones not to read if you don’t want to read them. Because I understand how scary and... real it makes it.” She lowers her gaze and mumbles into her lap, “Or not.”

Her eyes widen when Regina leans in and slips her paper in her sight. “Be my guest, dear.”

Emma nods. Regina’s cursive is neat and pretty and not hard to read at all. Or maybe her own handwriting mixing print and cursive is so bad her comprehension skills skyrocketed, who knows.

 

Rules 

  1. It’s okay to cry. Crying will never mean you are weak. You are still grieving.
  2. Don’t feel guilty for taking time off from everything/everyone if you get peace of mind. Turn off your phone. Disconnect.
  3. Smile more. It will help. Hopefully.
  4. Look over pictures of Henry if you need to. Remember the good times. That’s why they’re there.
  5. Make and maintain at least two new friendships. Reconnect with old ones.
  6. Don’t neglect your health. Exercise. Eat. Sleep.
  7. Do something new every now and again. Preferably with friends. Laugh about it.
  8. Let go of regrets. Write them down, crumple it up, throw it away. Mal says it helps.



 

Smiling, Emma hands back the lists. So Regina knows a Mal too. That’s pretty cool.

“Yours has such good life advice. Everyone should be following your rules.” Emma says with a wink. Regina actually laughs.

“I’m not original, dear. Henry was always better at that.” She stares wistfully at the ceiling, elbow digging into the desk, her cheek resting against her knuckles as she remembers her son. “He used to run up to me at all hours of the day to tell me some story idea he cooked up while playing, or reading, or instead of studying. One day it would be,  _what if Snow White and Prince Charming had a baby and that baby was the one who defeated the Evil Queen instead of killing her._  Another day it would be, _the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio is actually evil but she’s using the guise of goodness to get people on her side,_  and another time, when he was seven, he came into my room around... I don’t know, eleven at night, perhaps, and he said to me, _Mulan and Sleeping Beauty are in love now._

“Oh...” She shakes her head. “That boy was obsessed with fairytales. As soon as he realized there were different iterations of every story, I swear, he went absolutely mad with ideas on making them his own.”

Emma chuckles. From the way she talks about him, Regina clearly supported Henry’s endeavors. “He sounds like quite the character himself. You must be so proud.”

Regina nods. Something dawns to her, and she hesitates before speaking. When she catches herself, she reworks her wistful smile into something more grateful. “I am. Thank you, Emma.” Emma nods in turn.

Just as the timer runs out.

From the back of the room this time, Lucy calls for everyone’s attention once more. They don’t have to move the tables and chairs again this time, but she wants all the littles in the back, and all the caregivers in the front.

“Unless you’ve found a partner already!” She makes sure to add. “If you have a partner, please stand towards the side—either one—so we don’t get you mixed in! Alrighty, let’s move! Bring your stuff with you, please!”

Emma hops up from her seat and looks to Regina as she gathers her things, slinging her backpack over one shoulder. Regina does the same—with her bag, not the hopping part—and she locks eyes with Emma only when she’s pushed in her chair.

She offers a hesitant smile. “Partners?”

“Y-yeah,” Emma stutters, nodding vigorously, “Yes. Please. I’d like that.”

Regina’s smile turns into one of amusement, and she offers her hand to lead Emma to one of the sides. Emma grabs it, noting how warm it is, and pulls her towards the side Aurora is standing on. Regina lets herself be pulled with a small chuckle.

Aurora smiles at them when she sees them coming over. She is standing with a tall Asian girl who has her phone out and sends a glance to the clock. Isn’t her name Mulan?

Emma smiles back at Aurora. Without even thinking, they grab each other’s hands and give the other a hug, giggling. No doubt about it—they’re definitely going to be good friends.

“How old are you today?” Aurora asks, smiling broadly.

Emma thinks a moment. “I feel four. You?”

“And a half!” Emma giggles again. And a half! How clever!

_Yes, this is good. Good job, Emma. Two in one day. Good girl. You can do it! And one less thing to be upset over._

* * *

Her happiness doesn’t last long.

They never get to the activity Lucy planned for them next with the papers and the crayons and the other stuff. Sorting everyone into pairs takes a lot longer than anyone thinks because they have more littles than caregivers in class. Well, just two littles, and only one caregiver between them.

It was a tense situation because the caregiver was a shy person who didn’t want to say no to either of them. And when the little girl starts crying because she’s scared the caregiver wouldn’t pick her, Emma clings to Regina’s arm and tries to hide behind her.

_I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry..._

Despite her mantra, she’s not surprised to find she already is. Thankfully, though, it’s quiet.

_But it’ll get loud when you’re home. And then Sissy and Wolfie will be mad. They’ll be so mad at you!_

She’s far from the only one who’s upset. Regina looks like she wants to cry herself, but she doesn’t. She holds a shaky Emma close to her chest and runs her fingers through her hair and pats her back as she watches the situation play out. Beside them, Emma hears Aurora whimper.

Class ends very quickly after that, and Lucy makes sure to give everyone a syllabus before they leave. Try as she might, Emma doesn’t want to move, or let go of Regina’s arm... and Regina is surprisingly okay with that. She asks Mulan to grab a syllabus for each of them and, after thanking her when she does, leads Emma outside where they find a little bench next to the classroom and sits her down.

Regina sets all their stuff to the side and kneels in front of her. She patiently wipes away every single tear from Emma’s her eyes to her chin, and grabs a little pack of tissues from her purse and offers it to her. Emma sniffles and drags her arms over her eyes before she notices and takes a few of the tissues.

“That was kind of scary, wasn’t it?” Regina asks softly, and Emma, still sniffling, nods. “I’m proud of you for braving through it, though. You did very well, Emma.”

“R-really?” Emma sniffles again, more, rubbing an eye with her free hand. “But I-I...”

Regina mockingly glares at her. “No buts. I think you did very well considering the circumstances, and no amount of arguing is going to change my mind. Do you understand?” A lot of fast nodding, more sniffling, and a grateful sob answers her back. The tissues get put to good use. Regina’s gaze softens. “Quite a sensitive little one, aren’t we?”

“‘M sorry...”

“Don’t be.” Regina moves to sit on her left, draping an arm around her and encouraging Emma to rest her head on her shoulder, which she does. “You’re completely fine. I promise.”

They sit there until Emma’s tears dry and the next hour of classes have already started. The entire time, Regina does various things to soothe her, none of which Emma expects. She alternates between patting and rubbing her back, tells her small but funny anecdotes from the days when Henry was Emma’s little ages, and towards the end, even produces a little lollipop from her purse.

As Emma accepts it, Regina goes on. “I’m not in the habit of carrying candy with me, but don’t eat it just yet.” She pulls out an 8-oz bottle of water and loosens the cap before handing it over too. “Drink.”

“Thanks...” Emma mumbles. She takes a small sip.

“All of it.”

It really isn’t much, so she drinks it all without protest. With one final sniffle, she smiles. “Thank you... Mommy.” Saying it out loud is funny, especially for the first time. It will definitely take a bit for her to get used to. Hopefully not the entire eleven weeks they have together.

_If you make it that far._

Regina smiles back, tucking a piece of blonde hair that had become stuck to Emma’s cheek behind her ear. “I think this arrangement will work out just fine. Do you have any pet names you like to be called?”

Emma shakes her head. “Surprise me.” Regina chuckles.

“I’ll try.”

They take the next few minutes to go over the beginning of the syllabus together, and Emma uses the time to get back into her big girl mindset. She offers Regina her number after the first paragraph, and they also exchange addresses.

“Let me walk you to your next class, if you have one,” Emma offers, rising from her seat. “It’s the least I can do after...” She trails off after Regina holds up a hand, and smiles shyly under her gaze, wringing her hands behind her back like a child in trouble.

“You seem to have our roles reversed, dear. As long as we are on-campus, I believe walking someone to her class is _my_ job. So if you, Emma, have somewhere you need to be right now...”

* * *

Regina takes well to the role of Emma’s caregiver. She drives her home, walks her to the door, and sees to it she’s safely inside before heading back to her car despite the offer to come in.

“You have my number, and my address in case you need to reach me,” she reasons, “and I don’t think your roommates would appreciate a stranger in their midst so soon after you and I just became acquainted.” She glances at the driveway. “I don’t suppose that Mustang in the driveway belongs to you, so is it safe to assume you won’t be alone?”

Emma pokes her head out to check, and sure enough, Ruby’s red Mustang is idly sitting in front of the garage. She turns back to Regina with a casual shrug. “I guess Ruby came home early today. Listen, are you sure you don’t want to come in, maybe have a coffee or something? Can’t I do something nice for you? For—” she lowers her voice. “—earlier?”

Regina scoffs. “You won’t quit, will you?” She doesn’t sound mad or annoyed, but surprised. Emma stands her ground and shakes her head.

“Nope. Relationships are give-and-take, Regina, no matter what the dynamic is. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. That’s what friends do.”

The mention of friends catches her off-guard, and for a moment, Regina is stunned. She clearly didn’t expect this.

“I...” she pauses, folding her arms, hugging herself. “I wouldn’t know. It’s been a while since...” She drops her gaze. “It’s been a while,” she finishes lamely.

_Oh, now you’ve done it. Great going._

Emma swallows. Maybe she should’ve asked more questions, like what Regina likes when she’s sad. If it’s been a while since Regina had friends, does that mean she doesn’t like to be touched? Or does she only let certain people touch her? She seemed to treat Emma like her own little girl right away, holding her and comforting her when she’s upset, so does that make Emma one of those certain people?

Emma loves touch. She craves it. She’s touch-starved, as Lily’s momma would say. So, she does the one thing she always loves when people do to her when she’s sad. She hugs, and she hugs harder when she hears Regina gasp.

“Don’t be sad, Mommy, ‘m sorry,” Emma murmurs into Regina’s hair before burying her face into her shoulder. In her normal voice, she adds, “If you think of something you’d like me to do for you, tell me. I don’t care what it is. I’m yours until you don’t want me anymore, and even then I’ll still be around for you, just in case.”

_Please want me. Please._

Arms find their way around her, and awkward hands rest against the small of her back and grip lightly onto the fabric of her shirt. A stiff Regina presses a kiss to Emma’s left temple and pulls away shortly.

“I-I’ll keep that in mind... Thank you, Emma.” She says while cupping Emma’s cheek. Her brown eyes are wide, almost fearful. Emma tilts her head slightly, leaning toward the touch. “I’ll be going now. Remember, if you need me...”

Emma nods. “Yep. Got you on speed dial.”

Regina nods back, and then she goes. Down the steps, over the walk, into her black Mercedes Benz, and drives off with one final, flustered look. Emma steps back into the house and closes the door.

Instead of Ruby, she finds Lily on one end of the living room couch, flipping through channels in her favorite outfit—blue shorts, faded long pink shirt with a crusty green four-leaf clover and the word LUCKY on the top, and her two-tone brown-blonde hair in a messy bun atop her head. She lowers the volume when she sees her, setting the remote aside and opening her arm up to invite Emma over.

“Hey, babe,” she says, grinning, “How was your first day of Babygirl College?”

It was she who coined that phrase. Instead of answering, Emma runs straight to her and hides her face in Lily’s chest. Lily, always going with the flow, lets her, and shifts to let Emma rest her head in her lap. She rests a cool hand on Emma’s back, sliding it down til she reached her bottom, and then she began to pat it in a soft, even beat.

“Mmmmnmggh...” Emma murmurs, curling in on herself while turning her head to face the television, “Sis-ssy, you do that on purpose...”

Lily chuckles. “Are you complaining? I’ll stop if you—”

“No!”

Lily laughs again.

“Thought so. You wanna wait til Ruby gets home to tell about your first day of school?”

Emma nods. “Yes. I’ll wait. Can we watch cartoons, please? Til Wolfie gets home? When’s she comin’ back today?”

With her free hand, Lily grabs the remote and goes for another round of channel switching. “Dunno. Before dinner, she said, so it could be anywhere from two to five-thirty. Think you can wait that long? You got anything that needs signing?”

Emma shakes her head, nuzzling Lily’s lap with her nose as she does. “Nope.” Unlike Regina, Lily knows exactly what she means. “Sissy?”

“Hn?”

“I love you.”

Finally she finds a channel with cartoons, and Lily puts down the remote, reclines her seat, and settles in for a nap. She stops patting and simply rests her hand on Emma’s back. “Love you too, squirt. Wake me up if you need something, okay?”

Emma snuggles closer. “M’kay. Night-night. Don’t let the dream buggies bite.”

“Heh. Yeah.”


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to Lily invoking her littlespace, it isn’t long before Emma falls asleep too. She naps for an hour before her tummy wakes her up, and she in turn wakes Lily.

“Sissy? Sissy, ‘m hungry...” She tugs at Lily’s shirt and pokes her cheek. When Lily doesn’t stir, Emma sits up on her knees and pouts with an indignant _hmph_. “Sis- _sssy_!” she whines, pushing Lily’s shoulder and impatiently bouncing on her haunches. Quick tears prick the corner of her eyes at being ignored. “Sissy...” she repeats softly, careful to keep her voice from breaking.

Lucky for her, Lily finally wakes up with a groan, inhaling a breath through her nose before slowly releasing it. “What...” she mumbles.

Emma sniffles, wiping her eyes with her knuckles before any tears fall. “Hungry.” Lily’s eyes open, and she smiles. She places her hand under Emma’s trembling chin and strokes it with the backs of her fingers.

“Let’s get you lunch, hm?” Emma nods. Lily sits up and gives her a warm hug, patting her back a bit before pushing in the reclining part of her chair with the heels of her feet and getting off the couch. They hold hands to the kitchen, with Emma leading Lily to the pantry and pulling out a little cup of macaroni and cheese.

Lily makes it, and Emma eats it. Then Emma settles down for another round of cartoons—on Netflix this time—while Lily decides and goes to shower.

Before she hands Emma the remote, she says with a wink, “Don’t you go looking at anything naughty, okay?”

Emma giggles. “No, Sissy!” Lily smiles as she turns to leave, but a hand grabs the hem of her shirt. “Buffy later? Maybe? Please?”

Her brow furrows. “Why don’t you watch it yourself?”

“Can’t,” Emma says, shaking her head, “Too scary. You gotta ‘tect me from the vampires. Pretty please?”

“Hah. Sure, kid. Sure.”

“Okay! You can go now.”

* * *

Ruby comes home at three while Emma and Lily are in the midst of their third Buffy episode. She’s in a good mood, humming a song under her breath as she takes off her heels and puts them away. There’s a noticeable dance to her step, her red skirt swishing every way her hips guide them.

Very _good mood_.

Lily puts a finger to her lips to tell Emma to be quiet. Ruby’s so wrapped up in the moment, when she turns into the living room she actually jumps when she sees them cuddling on the couch and staring at her.

Emma giggles. “Hi, Wolfie! Good day?”

“Yeah, Wolfie,” Lily adds, running a hand through Emma’s hair with a smirk in her tone, “Get laid?”

Ruby takes her hand away from her heart with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. She’s smiling though. “Tell you guys over dinner. First, gotta shower.” She eyes the TV, and then her gaze comes back, her smile softer as she adds, “Babygirl afraid to watch Buffy alone?”

“Nehh...” Emma hides her face in Lily’s shoulder, and both her roommates giggle. But in a good, teasing way. They love seeing her in her littlespace just as much as she likes being in it.

_You don’t deserve friends this good. This could’ve easily gone in a very different direction and you know it._

Emma peeks when Ruby takes a seat next to her and pulls Emma’s legs up to rest across her lap and all of a sudden her head’s in Lily’s. She twists her body to face the ceiling, her elbow resting on Lily’s leg as she tucks her arms close to her chest. Ruby runs a cool hand up and down her smooth legs, and at the same time, Lily puts a warm hand over her stomach. Emma blinks up at them both curiously.

“Can I watch an episode of Buffy with you before I get clean, babygirl?” Ruby asks, batting her lashes.

Lily smiles when Emma looks to her for permission. “Whaddaya say, kid? Should we let her?”

They do. Lily rubs Emma’s tummy and Ruby occasionally glides her red fingernails over Emma’s legs, making her shiver. Halfway through the episode Emma finds herself falling asleep, and right before she drifts off she feels someone moving. They place a blanket over her and kiss her forehead.

“Sweet dreams, pup,” Ruby whispers. “We’ll wake you when it’s dinnertime, okay? We love you...”

* * *

Dinner is lively with stories about their days. Ruby, now in her most modest set of pajamas, goes first: apparently she got a new job, a safer one than what she currently does. Something to do with the library and maybe once in a while, reading to kids?

Lily snorts. “Does it have anything to do with the fact you’re smitten with the assistant librarian chick? What’s her name—Belle something?” Ruby sticks out her tongue.

“Bite me.”

“So, what’d you do today, Lily?” Emma asks quickly before stuffing a forkful of spaghetti in her mouth.

Lily shudders. After dropping Emma off at the campus she saw someone she still hates after seven years down at the grocery store across the street. Looking at, of all things, baby supplies.

“I’m so afraid for that kid. Yikes!” She takes a long sip of her soda. “What ‘bout you, Em? How was your first day of Babygirl College? Spill your milk, kid, we’re all ears.”

“Mm!” Ruby injects, hurriedly swallowing her most recent bite of her own spaghetti. “Right! You went today! Do you have anything that needs signing?” When Emma shakes her head, Ruby nods. “Well, go on! Like Lil said, we’re all ears. Were people nice to you? How’s your teacher? Did you get to play any games?”

Emma lowers her head. “The lady who said she could help me find my class didn’t know where she was going so we got lost two times and I cried. A lot.”

She hates saying it aloud. No matter what tense, that word haunts her, leaving stingy pricks all over her heart, an extra big lump in her throat, and more bad thoughts in her mind. But it’s the truth. And it’s not like it’s surprising. Lily and Ruby are, though.

“Awww, babe...” Ruby coos, resting a hand over Emma’s bouncing knee, “Sorry about that, pup. Next quarter Lily and I will personally walk you to class, okay? Right, Lil?”

Lily hums her agreement. “Hell yeah we will.”

Blood rushes to tint her cheeks and ears pink, and Emma hides her face behind her hands, under multiple shades of embarrassment. “You don’t have to. I’ll be okay.”

“Girl, you’re, like, five.” Ruby goes on, “What kind of roomies would we be to let our little baby fairy child wander a college campus by herself?”

Emma peeks at her between her fingers. Ruby tosses a section of brown hair dyed red over her shoulder as she looks at her, a determined smirk on her lips. She knows exactly what to say to make Emma feel even more little, and she knows it.

And, as a switch with a preference for dom, she loves it.

Lily twirls a bit of spaghetti and sauce onto Emma’s red Hello Kitty fork and gently waves it in front of her face to get her attention. Emma lets her hands slide from her face and, expectedly, audibly, opens her mouth to allow Lily to feed her.

“What happened next?” Lily asks while Emma chews and swallows, “Once you got to class?”

“The classroom’s really colorful, and I got to sit in a yellow chair, and there’s this lady who was already sitting at the table in a blue chair, and at first I thought she was mean because she didn’t look at me when I smiled hi to her, but then the teacher—who’s name is Lucy—made us find a partner and tell them our favorite colors and stuff, and then I found out she’s really nice and sweet and I like her a lot. Her name’s Regina. And then we got up and moved our desks and things to the sides of the rooms, and Lucy would read things from a piece of paper and if we agree with it we had to go on one side of the room and that was fun, and Regina said I did a good job when I had to ‘splain my answer.

“Also! Afterwards when everything was put back into place, we had to do a rule sheet and read them to each other, but sometimes Regina and I just gave each other our papers. Also also, after we did that, Lucy has us pair up and me and Regina are partners now. She’s my mommy and I’m her little and... Oh! And then, when something scary happened and I cried again, she helped me and gave me a lollipop. It was cherry and yummy. And then we exchanged numbers and she drove me home and I hugged her.” Emma takes a big breath. “The end!”

Ruby and Lily are staring at her, Ruby’s mouth is open a little, but Lily looks spacey. Emma bites her lip nervously.

Lily blinks. “Oh, sorry. I stopped listening after _Regina_.” Emma pouts while Lily cracks a small smile. “Okay, not completely. Promise. I’m sorry, babe, but you know why.”

_You do. Very well. You could have just made up a name or something, but nooo. You suck._

Emma hangs her head. “‘M sorry, Sissy...” she mumbles. Tears pool into her eyes as she fidgets with her fingers in her lap. A few spill onto her lap as she sniffles. “I forgot...”

_Now she hates you. Good going, Emma. You and your big fat stupid mouth, good going. Now Lily’s never gonna let you call her Sissy again. She’s never gonna want to talk to you again. Great job!_

“Hey. Look at me, Emma.” She shakes her head, making some tears fall to the floor. She pulls her knees to her chest and hugs them, hiding her face under her arms.

“‘M sorry Sissy I promise I won’t do it again ‘m sorry‘msorry‘msorry...” she chokes out through her quiet sobs. Not time to be loud yet. Not until she’s safely in bed.

“Dammit Lil, really? She was all excited and you couldn’t suck it up just one time?” Ruby barks. Her chair scrapes the hardwood floor as she rises and wraps her arms around Emma’s shaking body and presses her close, rubbing her shoulders and arms and kissing the crown of her head and cooing, “I’m here, baby, I’m here, it’s okay, sshhh...”

On the other side, Lily gets up too. She puts a gentle hand on Emma’s back and begins to rub. Emma doesn’t dare look.

“I’m sorry I rained on your parade, Emma,” Lily says softly. Ruby loosens her grip a little. “I know I have a lot I need to work on in regards to what my Regina did, and I’m sure your Regina isn’t the same person I’m used to thinking of when I hear her name, and I shouldn’t’ve reacted like that. What I said and did just now wasn’t fair. It was rude, and mean, and you can punish me however you like for it, yeah?”

Emma sniffles. It’s hot where she’s hiding, so she peeks up at Lily and sniffles again. “You don’t hate me for saying her name? I can still c-call you Sissy? You won’t be mad?”

Lily shares a look with Ruby. “Oh, babe...” she whispers through a breath when she looks at Emma again. “I am so sorry.”

Emma sniffles one more time and untucks her knees and pulls Lily into a big hug the same time Ruby lets her go completely. Lily hugs her back tight, squeezing her close just how Emma loves it. Fights, if this can be called one, don’t happen a lot—this is actually their first—but they’re nothing a big hug can’t fix. Emma squeezes back just as hard, finishing the rest of her sniffles and resting her cheek on Lily’s shoulder with a watery smile.

“I love you, Sissy. I love you so much. And I’m sorry for being a big baby.” Lily cradles her head and rubs her back at the same time with her other hand.

“I love you too, Emma,” Lily murmurs into her hair. When she pulls away, she thumbs away any tears she finds. “And you can call your mommy by her name as much as you want, okay? It’ll do me some good, I mean, I’ll need to normalize it at some point, and... if you want, you can help me with that right off the bat.”

Emma nods vigorously. “I wanna help Sissy get better. I’ll help lots!”

“And don’t you ever,” Ruby adds in mock sternness, a hand on her hip, “apologize for being a “big baby,” okay? You’re our _little_ baby girl, and if you need to cry, no one in this house is ever going to shame you for it. That’s like, rule number one, remember? It’s why we don’t need other roommates!” she winks.

Emma nods more. “I ‘member, Wolfie. Thank you.” Household rules count as more rules for herself, don’t they? She follows them just like Ruby and Lily do, and everyone has a sticker chart.

They settle back into eating dinner. After pretending it was a worm, Emma uses her fingers to pick up a noodle she can’t with her fork and puts it into her mouth. Ruby and Lily watch her with smiles on their faces. Suddenly Emma remembers, and she looks between her roommates urgently.

“Oh! Mommy Regina’s first rule on her own pers’nal rule list said that it’s okay to cry and it never makes her weak. Is that true?”

“Mmh!” Ruby holds up a finger as she takes a big sip of her soda. “Yep!” She says after putting down her cup. “She’s right. Human is what it makes her, and good thing too. I don’t know about you, Lil, but I’d be hella scared if a robot or something worse was looking after our little Emma here, wouldn’t you?”

“Ditto to that one, Rubes.” Lily agrees.

Dinner finishes smoothly, and after putting away washed dishes, Lily draws Emma a bath. With bubbles. And bath toys.

“Sissy?”

“Hm?”

Peeking from beyond the threshold, Emma clutches at one side of the frame. “If you think you need to make it up to me, I promise you don’t have to, Sissy. I’m okay.”

“If you’re cool with it, then don’t think of it as that,” Lily replies, smiling softly as she drops some toys in the bubbly water. When she turns to look at Emma, her smile sharpens a little. “Besides, you were the one who said she wanted a bath after her first day of school, remember? A week ago. Because you wanted a reason to have one.”

“Oh.” Green eyes dart about the floor as she tries to recall saying something like that. They widen when she does, and she and Lily share a giggle. “Oh yeah!”

“Go get your favorite jammies, kiddo. Water’s not gonna stay this temp forever.”

* * *

She’s snuggling with Ruby and Lily on the couch again, a rerun of the most recent season finale of Friendship is Magic before them, all their brains turned off, when it happens.

Mom and Dad first call at 8:37PM, and her eyes fall from the TV screen with bright colors and adorable ponies to her little iPhone and its 8-bit ringtone.

Ruby’s the closest, so she picks it up and hands it over. Lily pauses the show. Emma keeps staring at the picture of her parents on the screen. Their big smiles, their pretty faces, her sleeping baby brother of five years between them.

They listen to the ringtone play two more times before it stops and claims a missed call. Emma sighs and places it facedown on the table. Then she leans toward Ruby and cuddles close to her.

“You’ll have to tell them eventually, babygirl,” says Ruby, throwing an arm around her shoulders and giving her a good squeeze. “And you don’t have to be alone when you do.”

“I know...” Emma mumbles with a pout. “But I don’t wanna. They won’t understand. Who do you think they are, Lily’s momma?”

Lily scoffs. “Right? You’d be good if you had my mom. She’s a world-class dominatrix and as long as you’re good with yourself as a person, she doesn’t give a damn what you do or don’t. Just be safe is all she asks.”

“Meanwhile, my granny’s been slut-shaming me since I got boobs. Before then maybe too, I don’t remember. We haven’t spoken in ages.” Ruby adds with a bitter laugh. “Between these two extremes, baby, how bad are your parents gonna be?”

Her phone rings again before Emma can answer. This time she ends it before it gets too far.

“They’re gonna keep caaaalllllling...” Emma whines, burying her face in Ruby’s lap. “Uaaaagh... I don’t wanna do this...” she turns her head, “But if I don’t come back downstairs, don’t worry about me, okie? It’ll be bedtime when I’m done.”

Ruby and Lily hug and kiss her goodnight, and Emma runs upstairs with her phone in hand just as it starts to ring again. They must be getting worried, her parents.

She reaches her room panting and has just enough time to hop into bed before the phone stops of its own accord, maybe because they decided at the last minute to stop, because what if she’s got homework and is super busy? But then Dad will remind Mom that it’s the first day and no school of any kind, even college, gives out homework the first day. It’s probably against the law or something. She grabs her blankie and nuzzles it against her cheek while she waits for them to try again. If there’s one thing she’s learned from her brief time staying at their house, it’s that everyone is inherently stubborn. Even the sweetest of people.

_Be big. It’s time to be big now, Emma. Like you’re supposed to. Be good. You’re okay. You’re a big girl. Nothing is wrong with you. You can be little later. You can always cry later. But not right now. Not now._

The next time Mom and Dad call, no matter how scared she is, no matter much she really doesn’t want to talk to them about her day...

Emma answers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals kicked my ass so hard guys. If I went to this college I might do better, eh?
> 
> Sorry for the wait!

“Hello?”

“David, she picked up—There you are, Emma!”

She smiles a little. Just because she’s scared to talk to them about certain things doesn’t mean she isn’t happy to hear their voices.

“Hiyyyye,” she drawls. Mom probably put her on speaker so Dad can hear her too. “Where’s the fire, you guys? Why are you blowing up my phone?”

“Oh,” Mom answers coyly, “No reason. We just want to check up on our sweet baby girl after her first day of college is all.”

Crap. They know. Somehow they know. Oh God, they’re calling because they’ve found out and are gonna make her drop out and enroll in another community college where she won’t see Regina and the work will be scarier and longer and—

“Also your brother wanted to talk with you before he went to bed. He’s been asking to call you all day.” Dad adds suddenly (Neal makes sure to yell from the background “NO I HAVEN’T!”). “Emma, you still there?”

She bites her lip. “Uh, yeah, Dad. ‘M just...” Regressing. Panicking. Gonna start crying. “... kinda fallin’ asleep. Long day.”

_Liar, liar, pants on fire!_

In a way, it’s easier to lie over the phone. They can’t see her face turning red, or her curling into a ball because she’s scared. They can’t see her holding her blankie close to her for dear life or her chin trembling. But they can hear her moving, and if she’s not careful, sniffling.

And then Mom and Dad will ask what’s wrong and she’ll start crying and apologizing profusely and telling them the truth. That Emma Swan really is a baby, and she would love more than anything to stay their little girl if they would let her. But they won’t. It’d make a bad impression on Neal, not to mention on them.

_They were right to put you somewhere else, even as an actual baby. They’ve got a real little child to take care of now. They don’t need you. They’ll think you’re nuts._

God, not this now. Thankfully, Mom snaps her out of it.

“Well, we won’t keep you for too long,” she says, “but your baby brother wanted to talk to you. He’s been waiting for this moment all day!” she adds with a giggle.

“No, I _haven’t_!” whines Neal. He’s much closer than he was before, and Emma smiles a big genuine smile at that. Her little baby hero, saving her from uncomfortable conversations with their parents!

_Imagine how he’d be once he finds out you like baby things. Things he’s growing out of or even already grew out of. He might not do it to you now, but he’ll make fun of you so much! And Mom and Dad won’t want you encouraging him to like those things again. He’s growing out of them for a reason, y’know? Bad influence, Emma. Very naughty!_

Mom and Dad are the ones in the background now as Neal runs off with the house phone up the stairs and to his room where he closes the door really loud. She giggles when she hears him flop on his bed and sigh contently.

“What’s up, Nealy-wheely?” Emma asks, uncurling herself and sitting up. She can’t stop smiling, she realizes, as she swings her legs over the edge of her bed. Must be the relief kicking in. “Didja miss me?”

“Can I come live with you, Sissy?”

She pauses. Well, that’s unexpected. “Why do you wanna come live with me, kid?”

He lowers his voice. “Mommy and Daddy are making me go to, to the, the elemen-o school and I don’t wanna. There’s gonna be lots of big kids there from kindergarten to fifth grade and I don’t wanna get beat up. Can you come get me, and tell Mommy and Daddy you’ll take me to school, and then take me to your house instead? I’ll be extra good, I promise!”

_Damn, he’s precious._

She chuckles. “I think you already know I can’t, kiddo. But school’s really fun! You get to learn new things, play new games, make new friends—”

“Is that what you’re doing?”

She freezes. “What?”

“In college,” he clarifies, and she hears him shift the phone to his other ear, “Are you learning new things, playing games, and making friends too?”

Oh. Phew. Still safe.

_You’re that paranoid, wow. Pull it together, Emma, Jesus._

“Yeah. Sorta. But being in college means I went to elementary school, and then middle school, and then high school, and now I’m here.” He groans at the idea of more school, and that makes her chuckle again. “It’s tough, kid, but you’ll make it. Promise.”

“Pinky promise?” he asks, his voice now small and hopeful.

She nods. “I’ll do you one better, kid—Pinkie Pie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” She crosses her heart with her finger and covers her eye with her palm as she recites the rhyme even though he can’t see it.

But it gets the desired effect and he bursts into giggles. “You’re so silly, Emmy!”

“Not as silly as you, Nealy!” she retorts with a laugh. Not to be outdone, he laughs some more. It borders evil and maniacal and Emma has to stop herself from following suit because it’s also contagious.

Neal always knows how to make things just a little bit better whether he’s aware of it or not.

They say their goodnights as Mom and Dad come back to reclaim their stolen phone. Dad takes the call outside the bedroom as Mom tucks Neal in and Emma takes the opportunity to calm down.

“How was your first day at Storybrooke Central, princess?” he asks.

And just like that, she passes calm and goes right to the opposite side of the spectrum, the one Neal briefly pulled her out of. Storybooke Central, right.

_Liar, liar, pants on fire!_

Emma swallows and lies down again. “You know... it was the first day, ya know? Nothing too exciting.”

“Well, we’re all—I mean, everyone in this household is so happy for you, Emma. Seriously. With Neal getting ready to go into school for the first time, he’s been so anxious about it, and when he heard you were going back _willingly_ , he couldn’t wait to get your take on things.”

“Heh, he’s a tough cookie. He’ll survive,” she laughs nervously.

Dad nods audibly. “With your reassurance, he definitely will. You don’t know how much he looks up to you, Emma.”

She wants to say that’s not such a good thing, but she doesn’t. Dad may not be as perceptive as Mom, but he’s just as persistent.

She wants to hang up now. Before Mom comes. Before the badgering starts.

“Hey, Dad—”

“Emma!” Mom in the background. To Dad, she whispers, “Is she still there?” A second later, with her voice louder and clearer than it’s been since the first hello: “Hey, baby. You still awake?”

“Yep. I’m here.” Oh, God, here we go.

Mom doesn’t disappoint. Or maybe she does. “How was your first day at Storybrooke Central, sweetie? How many classes are you taking this quarter?”

Emma squeezes her eyes shut and drapes her arm over them. “Just one. I’m trying not to bite off more than I can reasonably chew, and it’s less expensive this way. The first day’s the same as you’d expect, and Dad already asked.”

“Ah. Have you picked your major yet?”

“Nope.” Not one she can say, but at least she has one.

“Oh!” Dad exclaims suddenly, snapping his fingers, “Has she heard about the...”

“Oh, David, no, don’t ask her about that,” Mom sighs.

There’s some ruffling as the phone exchanges hands once again. Emma stiffens. “Have you heard about that new community college that just opened? It’s near your neighborhood, I think.”

If possible, she squeezes her eyes shut tighter. “What new college?”

“The one based off the erotic novel that was all the rage a few years back. What was it? Fifty... Fifty Shades of Gray. That one. Mom has the book in her hands right now.”

“Oh, God, stop. Please. I did not need to know that.” Emma rolls over to her stomach and presses her face into her pillow.

_Well, this is escalating quicker than you thought..._

“It’s quite a page-turner, actually,” Mom goes on anyways, “But very disturbing. _Very_ disturbing. I can’t imagine living how she does.”

Emma comes up for air. “That’s great, Mom. It’s probably best not to.”

“Even though it’s farther away, I’m so glad you’re going to Central and not the erotica school. I don’t want my sweet baby girl getting hurt.”

Oh God.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“I second that,” Dad adds. Probably on speaker again. “You be careful on your way to school, okay? It’s probably best to avoid that block altogether. Do you know what kind of people attend that kind of college?”

Emma swallows. “Regular people?”

Dad sighs. “No, princess,” he says gently, “People who want to hurt you. People whose idea of a good time involves whips and chains, and saying disrespectful things to their partner. Collars, and handcuffs, what have you. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a good time to me.”

“It’s torture,” Mom injects, “Plain and simple. Listen to your dad, baby—avoid that street. I’m sure Ruby and Lily would understand if you need to find another route to school. In fact, let them know we’re looking out for them too. If one of those maverick, maladjusted people pulls you off the street and solicits you into that lifestyle, I—”

“Would be devastated and we would definitely call the police.” Dad finishes, even though that doesn’t sound like that’s where Mom was headed with that sentence. “Emma? Are you still there?”

“Mhmm!” Emma hums, sounding too perky and squeaky to fool anyone.

It’s amazing how fast tears can fall. It’s also amazing how quiet she can be when Mom and Dad have no idea what they’re talking about and she can’t correct them without outing herself.

_Simply amazing :)_

“David, let’s let Emma get some rest. We can talk more about this tomorrow.” It’s the first thing Mom’s said the entire conversation she can agree with. Finally.

Mom and Dad bid her (and her very much-awake roommates) goodnight, and even send kisses over the phone. Luckily, they don't wait for any response.

When she’s finally alone, on her tummy in the dark as her phone screen dims to let her know the call is officially over, one arm over her eyes and the other wrapped around her blankie, Emma lets her phone fall to the carpet and cries.

She sobs into her pillow and kicks her feet, and twists and turns all over in her bed, and pounds her fists onto every soft landing she can because walls hurt, and headboards hurt, and her heart and eyes and ears hurt. She cries louder, harder, almost screaming, she’s so upset.

It just _has_ to be this way. Mom and Dad _have_ to be ignorant and say mean things. Now she can never tell them. Never ever! She has to keep lying and lying and lying!

_Lying is bad. You’re bad. Sissy and Wolfie are gonna be mad. Mommy’s gonna be mad!_

Mommy.

The thought of Mommy quiets her down for a moment, and Emma wipes the drool from her chin and sniffles, hastily pushing the ends of hair disheveled from all her thrashing away from her eyes.

Didn’t Mommy Regina have a little rule on lying? No, wait. It was crying. Crying and whining.

Crying and whining will be swiftly dealt with.

_You big ugly crybaby, Mommy’s gonna punish you so bad!_

That thought sets her off again and she screams into her pillow until her throat is scratchy and hurts lots. She throws her pillows and kicks everything to the floor, even her blanket and blankie. Even though she’s loud now she can still hear her bedroom door being flung open and hitting the wall. Seconds later Lily’s hands are turning her around so she’s on her back. She scrambles to sit up and hugs her tight.

“I’ve got you, babe, you’re good, you’re okay...” Lily says while rocking her and cradling her head.

Emma gives a shaky nod into Lily’s shoulder. Her nose is so stuffy sniffles don’t have a point. She’s crying so hard she can’t make a sound, let alone form words.

“Aaah...”

“Wolfie’s coming, Em, I promise.”

Her eyes are squeezed shut tight, but even before she opens them she knows Lily turned on the light. It isn’t very bright because of the light dimmer knob, but it’s there nonetheless.

She lets Lily get a good look at her when they pull away, even though she’s really shaky and doesn’t want anyone to look at her. At least she doesn’t have to look back.

Lily kisses her forehead and her cheeks and the tip of her red nose and helps pick everything up off the floor. First, Lily hands Emma her blankie back, and then her pillows and big blanket. Hidden underneath the big blanket is a little husky puppy, the actual Wolfie, and Lily gently handles him too.

“Ruff!” Lily barks in a high-pitched squeaky tone, holding the little toy in front of her face, “What’s wrong, Emma, ruff-ruff? Who do I have to bite? Grrr! Rawr-rawr!”

She giggles as she puts the little puppy into Emma’s lap, and continues to smile even though Emma’s still frowning and her chin trembles and threatens to make her start crying again. Lily doesn’t push it; instead, she sits on the edge and helps Emma settle into bed, gently placing her head on her pillow and pulling up Emma’s blanket to her chest so puppy-Wolfie and blankie can still breathe.

Emma peers up at Lily, her big green eyes shining, and Lily’s cool hands cup her hot, sticky, tear-stained face.

“I love you, Emma. Taking care of you is never a bother. Seriously. Ruby and I don’t mind, no matter what that mean voice in your head says. That’s the low self-esteem talking. It doesn’t get a say until it gets better and starts being nice to you, okay?”

Emma nods. Sniffles. Tears up again even more.

“You wanna talk about it?” asks Lily gently.

Emma shakes her head, whimpering. So close to crying again. Lily notices.

“O-okay, okay, we don’t have to talk about it, yeah? No talking. We’ll leave that for when you’re feeling big, okay?” More nodding. “Alright.”

“She okay?”

They look to the open door as Ruby comes in with a bottle of milk in her hand. “I didn’t think a sippy cup would be safe for bed...” she smiles sheepishly. Lily smirks as she removes her hands from Emma’s face.

“Good call.”

“Here you go, babygirl, say aah...!”

Emma accepts the bottle eagerly. The milk is warm and comforting, and Ruby and Lily coo at her. Ruby rubs her tummy this time, and Lily moves out of the way so Ruby can sit. Lily picks up Emma’s phone just as it beeps again.

Ruby doesn’t take her eyes away from Emma’s when she asks who it is.

Lily smiles. She shows them Emma’s phone and the message they just received, and Emma is glad she didn’t put Mommy’s name. Or, rather, Mommy didn’t.

Ruby reads it aloud.

 

Mommy—

I hope my texting you at this hour is okay, but I just wanted to wish a certain good little girl a good night. Don’t stay up too late, Emma. We wouldn’t want to feel cranky tomorrow, would we?

 

“Oh, that’s just adorable,” Ruby finishes. She’s smiling even wider than Lily when she turns back to Emma, “See? Your mommy’s thinking of you, baby!”

“What do you want to say back?” Lily asks.

“Mmngh!!” Emma grunts, reaching for her phone. With her other hand she slips the nipple of her bottle out of her mouth. “I wan’ it! Mine, Sissy, mine!”

“You be nice to Sissy, pup,” Ruby scolds lightly, “Say please, Emma.”

“Please, Emma,” Emma repeats, making both Ruby and Lily giggle and Emma smiles a little. Lily hands over her phone and Emma types what she wants to say with her pointer finger.

 

Ofc it’s okay. Thank you, mommy. You too! I’m just about to go to bed. Roomies are helping me!

 

The moment her text is sent and the messaging app is closed, Emma hands her phone to Ruby. “No ‘larm, Wolfie. I like when you or Sissy wakes me softly.”

Ruby raises an eyebrow. “You sure? Would big Emma like that too?”

Emma pauses. She puts the teat of her bottle back in her mouth and begins to suckle again, shaking her head. Big Emma would not like that as much. Big Emma likes waking up by herself. Ruby smiles sympathetically.

“We’ll put the volume on low, okay? Do you need Lily or me to sleep with you tonight? You seemed pretty upset, babe.”

Emma nods. “Please?”

Lily and Ruby do end up sleeping with her, but not in her bed. Not enough room. They move the coffee table out of the way and make a nest on the living room floor with lots of pillows and blankets and all their stuffed animals are invited. This happens every so often, and they were due for another sleepover anyway.

Emma snuggles in the middle between Ruby and Lily, curling into herself with puppy-Wolfie and her blankie, still drinking from her bottle. There’s so much touching and warmth and love surrounding her, she’s completely soothed. She giggles when Lily and Ruby kiss her cheeks at the same time.

“Now all we need is your mommy to come join us,” Ruby muses. “Then you’d be in heaven, wouldn’t you, babygirl? Yes you would, yes you would!”

“Hee!” Emma giggles, closing her eyes.

_I love you guys. You make me so happy. I feel so loved. Thank you for always being here for me. You’re the best._

Lily sighs. “You gotta establish trust, though. Napping together might be the ideal date, but you gotta be comfortable enough to close your eyes before you can sleep. Rule number two.”

“What’s rule number one?” Ruby asks. “Gotta have fun?”

“Consent! Obviously!”

“Sshh! I know that, but you could say it without raising your voice!”

“Shit, sorry.”


	5. Chapter 5

Emma wakes up first.

Green eyes dart to either side of her where her roommates are still sleeping and both have their arms draped protectively over her stomach. Through the course of the night her stuffed Wolfie somehow made it to Lily’s other side, but her baby blankie remains draped over her chest.

Carefully, Emma folds her blanket, places it atop her pillow, and slowly peels away from her friends.

Ruby’s on her stomach and doesn’t stir when touched, but Lily’s on her side and reclaims her arm when Emma kisses her knuckles and places her hand by her face.

After she makes it past the walls of the snuggle nest, Emma stretches her arms and legs as quietly as she can, tiptoes to the kitchen, and gathers the materials to make the first brew of coffee for the day.

* * *

As expected, the wondrous aroma of caffeine wakes both girls up. Ruby is the first to announce it with a loud and content moan to go with her stretching. She pops into the kitchen just as Emma turns around.

“Boo! Morning, pup!” she says with a big smile. “How are we today?”

“How are you so peppy in the morning?” Emma asks with a furrowed brow, grabbing their usual cups from the cupboard. “Did you have a dream about Belle or something?”

Ruby gasps, her jaw dropping in exaggerated horror. “Oh, I _know_ you didn’t just sass me!” She makes her way to where Emma stands and pulls her away from the counter to the center of the kitchen by wrapping her arms around Emma’s waist—thankfully her hands were empty—holding her close and whispering in her ear, “You feeling better today, Em?”

Emma chuckles. “Yeah, Rubes. But I'll be even more better once I have coffee.”

Ruby lets her go and turns her around. Her face is solemn and serious, a complete shift from a moment ago. Emma loves how quickly Ruby—and Lily—can go from playful to serious at the drop of a hat, but sometimes it’s a little unsettling.

“We going to talk about it over breakfast?” Ruby asks. She narrows her eyes when Emma nods. “No downplaying, okay? Lily and I do love your parents, Emma, you know that, but we love you more. Whatever they said to upset you so badly last night, we need to know so we can give you the right support you’re clearly not getting from them. The four of us all might want the same thing, but you know what you want too, and making sure you’re getting it while still being happy and safe is literally all that matters.”

Tears prick at Emma’s sleepy eyes. “Thanks, Rubes. I appreciate that.”

They hug. Sniffling, Emma rests her cheek on Ruby’s shoulder as Ruby rubs her back and combs her fingers through her hair. It’s not enough to put her in littlespace, mostly because it’s not time yet, but it’s very close.

“You’re always gonna have a shoulder to cry on here, babe. Even if the three of us get into the biggest fight this side of Maine, if you need us, we’re here for you.” Ruby pulls away first, and wipes a falling tear from Emma’s cheek, her wide smile returning. “Get some coffee. I’m gonna go wash up, and then after breakfast, Lily and I will take you to class, okay? I’ve got some time before my new job at the library starts, and I need your and Lily’s opinion on what to wear.”

“Sounds good.”

As Ruby leaves for upstairs, Emma turns back to the counter and wipes at her eyes.

All the luck in the world never could have prepared her for such amazing friends.

When they go to get her up for breakfast, Lily has already cleaned up the nest. All the pillows are stacked evenly on the couch, the stuffed animals on the other couch, and all the blankets are folded on the floor with Lily sitting on top of them, Emma’s baby blanket in her lap.

“Morning, guys,” she says over a yawn, her voice rough from disuse, “Who made coffee?”

Emma raises her hand. “You’ll have to get it yourself, Lil.”

Lily smirks. “Course.” She rises from her seat of blankets and hands Emma hers, crossing her arms when she first gets the chance. “We going to talk, Em?”

“We are.” Ruby answers for her. “We were waiting for you to get your ass up. Breakfast is a group thing when we can help it, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lily says, rolling her eyes playfully.

* * *

Breakfast cereal and coffee is a good balance of warm and cold, and big or little, Emma loves Froot Loops. She’s almost done with her bowl before either of her roommates ask again for details on what happened last night.

“Couldn’t tell ‘em?” Lily asks. Emma shakes her head as she takes another sip of her coffee.

“Nope,” she mutters glumly into her cup before setting it down. “They basically said people who go to that school want to hurt and torture me. And we should all avoid that street if we can in case “those people” “solicit us into that lifestyle” or some shit like that. They think I’m going to Central.”

Ruby makes a face. “Wait, _all_ of us? As in, me and Lily too? What, do they think it’s like that one time where those people were hanging around the high school handing those little booklet thingies about the world ending and finding Christ?”

Lily snorts. “I remember those! That shit’s hilarious. There was a zombie one!”

“Guys!” Emma says sharply, “They think the school is based off Fifty Shades of freakin’ Gay—Gray! They think it’s based off Fifty Shades, and if that doesn’t give you a hint of what went down last night...”

“Oh, God...” Lily groans as she hides her eyes in her hand. “No wonder you were so upset last night! Your parents are the worst kind of vanilla: misinformed as fuck.”

“Damn straights!” Ruby winks before spooning down another bite of her Lucky Charms.

Before they can finish their breakfasts, Emma’s phone beeps from the living room. She excuses herself to grab it, and the message she sees makes her heart flutter.

 

Mommy

Good morning, Emma. I hope you slept well. Do you need a ride to class? It’s no bother.

 

But wait. Ruby said she and Lily were gonna take her. She brings her phone to the table, screen facing toward herself to hide the message, and turns her body from side to side. Lily and Ruby stare at her curiously. Emma gulps.

“My...” she bites her lip. “She asked if I needed a ride and said it’s no bother. What do I say?”

Ruby smiles. “Tell her sure. Then she can come and meet us.”

Lily says nothing, but continues sipping her coffee and pretending there’s more in her cup than there really is. Emma looks at her hopefully.

It’s time now.

“Sissy?” she asks, shy, her voice a little higher in pitch, pressing her phone to her lips and batting her eyes at Lily, “I can say no if you want...” She doesn’t add that she’ll be sad because if Lily feels guilty Emma will be even more sad for making her so.

Ruby gently kicks at Lily under the table. “C’mon, Lil. The sooner you meet this Regina the sooner we can confirm it’s not _your_ Regina. And once you see it isn’t her, you can start forming positive associations with this Regina who we can trust to take care of our little baby lemur Emma. Also, you’re right, I’m definitely saying all these Regina’s on purpose.”

Emma bounces on her toes. “Please, Sissy? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?”

With a sigh, Lily puts down her cup, resting her elbow on the table and massaging her brow. “For the sake of argument, say it is my R. What then, huh? Telling the professor you need a change in partner because your roommate hates her isn’t gonna fly. I mean, there are so many ways around that, like not bringing her by the house, or never being in the same space at the same time.”

“But!” Ruby injects, wagging a finger, “If she isn’t your Regina, then you won’t have to worry about it.” Lily rolls her eyes. “Besides, people change, Lil. Even if she is your Regina, it’s been seven years. A lot can happen in just one of those. Like, for example, a literal dozen years ago, I met the both of you!”

Emma smiles brightly. That’s a year she won’t ever forget.

Lily sighs again. “I guess.” She looks to Emma. “What’s her last name, kid?”

It’s actually a little surprising she didn’t ask that before.

“Mills?” Emma answers softly, hiding the bottom half of her face behind her phone again. She holds her breath as Lily thinks about it.

Ruby bites her lower lip.

They wait.

After forever, Lily picks up her empty bowl and her coffee cup and goes to place the former in the sink and get a refill. “It doesn’t sound like her,” she says as she passes them. “Say yes if you want.”

“I wanna! I wanna!!”

Ruby laughs. “Then do it, silly! Tell your Mommy Regina to come over and while she does, you hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can pick out your clothes and wash up! Go on!”

In her excitement, her thumbs are too slow.

 

Morning, Mommy. Hope you slept well too. Sure about the ride, thank you!! My roommates want to meet you. Is that okay?

 

As Regina types back, Emma hurriedly finishes her breakfast cereal. She slows down with her coffee because it takes less time and effort to drink than it does to use a spoon. Ruby watches her, smiling.

“You’re so cute when you’re excited, babydoll,” she says while shaking her head, “It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?”

Emma nods eagerly. Then her phone beeps, and she squeals into her cup before she even sees the reply.

 

Mommy

Thank you, dear, and no problem. That would be fine; I would love to meet them. Class starts at 9:00 so... say I come over... maybe an hour before then? That gives us plenty of time to hang out.

 

That leaves half to get ready.

* * *

With Regina’s time limit, they all get ready lickety-split. Well, Emma does. Ruby and Lily are so much slower, but they’re not super excited, so she understands.

Alongside Lily, with big Emma back for an encore to help Ruby pick out her clothes, Ruby settles for a tank top, a buffalo plaid shirt she leaves open, some ripped skinny jeans, and her trusty pair of black converse shoes. It’s a bit more cover up than she’s used to on a weekday that isn’t pajamas, but it’s better than nothing. Literally.

In an effort to impress Regina, Ruby helps Emma curl her recently brushed blonde hair into soft waves and put them in loose pigtails with a little bit of pink ribbon tied in little bows. Emma wears a white t-shirt with Hello Kitty on it, and pastel pink overalls, and pink Velcro shoes to match because she told Ruby about Regina’s first outfit and how she looked all cool and sharp and like a real adult, and, of course, she matched.

She goes to grab her baby blanket from where it’s draped on the back of her kitchen chair just as Lily comes downstairs in her beat up dark green denim jacket, regular skinny jeans, and with Ruby’s car keys, which she tosses to Ruby, who catches them easily.

“You gonna bring your blankie, babe? Introduce it too?” Lily asks, smiling. Half an hour definitely pushed her into better spirits.

Emma giggles and hugs her blankie to her chest. “Blankies wanna meet people too, Sissy. She met you a loooong time ago and she likes you cuz you take care of me, just like she likes Ruby for the same reason, and I know she’ll like Mommy too!”

“Oh, so your blankie is a she, is she?” Ruby adds, raising a brow. Emma nods seriously.

“Sometimes.”

Regina texts again to say she’s arrived, and Emma jumps up and down, switching between her feets.

“This is so exciting!!” she squeals, bouncing up and down from one roommate to the other, making her pigtails bounce along with her, “I’m! So! Happy! Right! Now!”

Ruby and Lily watch her for one more second before Ruby puts her warm hands on Emma’s shoulders and presses her to stay on the ground. “Let’s not get too excited, pup. Wouldn’t wanna make your blankie get motion sickness, would you?” Emma stops bouncing and shakes her head rapidly.

“No, Wolfie, I wouldn’t,” she mumbles, hugging her blankie tighter and closer to her face. She sniffs it and nuzzles the soft bulky yarn, giving it a little kiss before looking up at Ruby again with big eyes. Ruby’s own green eyes wink.

Suddenly, they all hear a car door being shut. Emma takes in a big breath very loudly, which she slowly lets go until she hears the doorbell ring. Then what’s left of it comes out in a big puff.

Since Lily’s the closest, she goes to get it. Emma’s excitement makes her squealy and bouncy again, just a little bit because Ruby is making sure she stays on the ground.

Lily opens the door. Regina is standing there with a polite smile and she starts to open her mouth to say something before her eyes widen a little and her smile disappears.

“I...” is all she gets out before Lily turns her head away and looks to Ruby and Emma.

Uh-oh. Oh no, oh no, oh no...

_At least she doesn’t look mad?_

Lily doesn’t look mad. She looks an emotion Emma can’t name right now because she’s scared of what might happen.

She clutches her blanket tighter in her hands as Lily turns back to Regina.

“Locksley. That was your last name seven years ago. Not Mills. That explains it.”

Regina is still standing there stunned, her mouth hanging open. “A... Lilith, I—”

“Don’t you dare put my name in your mouth.”

Emma winces. Ruby wraps her arms around Emma’s waist and shoulders and holds her close, squeezing her shoulder when she feels her shaking.

“You’re okay, it’ll be okay...” Ruby murmurs into her forehead before planting a kiss, “I’m here, baby, it’s okay...”

But it’s not okay. Not even a little bit. When Lily gets mad, she shouts and yells like everyone else, but when she’s really super _fudging_ mad, her voice doesn’t get very loud at all.

“Lil, you’re scaring Emma.” Ruby scolds, rubbing Emma’s arm, “You know this is exactly what she was afraid of.”

Lily turns around again, her full body now, and this time, she _glares_ at Ruby. The tears blur Emma’s vision very quickly.

“Can you blame me?” Lily asks, “ _This_ is what I was worried about. This. _Her_ —” she whips her head around to glance at Regina before glancing back at Emma and Ruby, sending her brown hair flying, “—being the person to “take care” of Emma. Of all the people in the goddamn world...”

Emma whimpers as Lily goes on, but only Ruby responds. She hides Emma’s face in her shoulder and rubs circles on her back.

“I’m done,” Lily says suddenly. “I’ve said my piece. I can’t do anything about what happened with my mom, but I will be _damned_ if I let you hurt Emma the same way you did her.”

“I have no intentions of hurting Emma, Lili—I promise,” Regina says, a little softer than Emma expects, “I’m sorry about what happened with Mal, I truly am—”

“You had no bad intentions the first time around, and look at us now.”

For a moment, no one speaks. Emma peeks up from Ruby’s protective grip and sniffles. Is it over?

It’s over. Lily leaves the door open for Regina and as she passes them to go back upstairs, Emma breaks free from Ruby to grab Lily’s arm and pull her back.

“Sissy, wait!” she cries, sniffling. Lily stops but doesn’t look at her. “I’m s-sorry...”

The second those words are out of her mouth she feels Lily tense. “Don’t, Em,” Lily says softly, “I’m not going to argue with you. I’ll be fine. Let go.”

“But—” Lily tries to pry her arm out of her grip, which only makes Emma hold on more tightly and even stamp her foot. “No! Sissy—”

“Let me go, Emma.”

“Nooo!” The more Lily tries to get away, the more tighter Emma grips her arm, whining and crying. “Hug! Hug!”

Lily groans. “I don’t feel like giving you a hug right now! Hug Ruby or something!”

“Not me, hug Mommy!” insists Emma, sniffling and rubbing her eyes to clear them. Ruby rubs her back to help her calm down more. “Hug Mommy, Sissy. Please? Mommy said she’s really, really sorry about what she did, and you should tell her it’s okay and hug her like you did with me yesterday. No more fighting!”

Her eyes widen and she stops mid-sniffle when Lily finally does turn around. She still doesn’t look mad, but Emma lets go of her arm anyway.

“But it’s _not_ okay. If I said it was, I would be lying, and I’m not supposed to lie anymore, remember?” Emma nods. “Yesterday was different. What she did is so much worse than my being rude when you were telling your story. I was wrong yesterday, and you chose to forgive me. Seven years ago, your “mommy” was and still is wrong today. And I don’t have to forgive her.”

Emma stamps her feet. “Why not?!”

“I am allowed to be angry, Emma. Just like you’re allowed to be upset about my being angry. It’s not going to change anything.”

Emma doesn’t actually know what it was that happened back then. Lily always says it’s bad and awful, so big or little, Emma believes her. All she knows is it had something to do with a Regina (who’s now her Mommy and goes by Mills), Lily’s momma Mal (who’s not afraid of anything), and something about a big scary fight. But to still be mad about it for seven years? That’s way bigger than any of her little ages.

Lily turns to leave again, and Emma gives it one last try. In her most hopeful voice, she asks:

“Will you think about it, Sissy? For me?”

Her question makes Lily pause again, and Emma bites her lip. She doesn’t ask this a lot, only when it’s important, and Lily usually does the thing she doesn’t want to do if it’s for her.

No one talks for a long while, not until Lily sighs.

“No.”

And she marches right on upstairs without another word. Emma stares after her, dropping her blankie on the floor.

No.

Lily said no.

“Uh-oh...” Ruby says quietly. “Regina, come inside, will you? Emma? Pup?”

Regina does, and closes the door. Ruby picks up Emma’s blankie and tries to hand it back to her, but it ends up on the floor again. Regina gets it this time.

“Emma?” asks Regina in a soft voice. After adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she rests her free hand on Emma’s. “Duckling, are you all right?”

Chin wobbling, eyes tearing, lump growing bigger and bigger with all the sobs trapped in her throat, Emma looks at Regina. In her kind brown eyes, she can see Lily’s, and she’s anything but all right.

“Oh, Emma...”

Emma lets out a loud sob in answer. She clenches her fists and stamps her feet indignantly. Why can’t Mommy and Sissy get along? It’s just not fair!

“Itsnotfaaair!” she wails, stomping some more before plopping herself down on the floor and kicking her feet, pounding her fists. “Itsnot! Itsnot! It’s! NOT! FAAAAAIR!”

“I know, sweetheart, I know,” Mommy Regina says from right next to her. She wipes one side of Emma’s face with her thumb. “First, let’s calm you down, okay?”

“Let’s get her to the living room,” Ruby suggests on her other side, “Sit with her on one of the couches where it’s softer and she can’t accidentally hurt herself. You take one arm...”

So they do. Mommy and Wolfie help Emma stand back up and guide her to one of the couches in the living room to cry out all her frustrations. Regina sits first, then Emma on her lap. Ruby takes Regina's bag and puts it somewhere else.

Regina wraps her arm around Emma and gently rocks her from side to side, cradling her head with her free hand.

“Oh, by the way, I’m Ruby,” Ruby says when she finally sits down. “Sorry about Lily. You want a drink or anything?”

Regina chuckles. “Regina. And a water would be wise, but not for me. Emma and I have a class to attend soon.”

“Ooooh... yeah, that’s a good call. Be right back.”

Emma sniffles. “I dun wanna go...” She rubs her eyes with her fist before curling her fingers around the closest lapel of Regina’s dress shirt. “Too u-upset. I wanna stay home, Mommy, please...?”

Ruby comes back with a baby bottle filled with water that Regina hesitates to take once she sees it. She gets over it quickly and gently eases the bottle into Emma’s mouth like a real mommy does with a baby, faces and everything.

Just like how she must have done with Henry when he was a baby.

Emma immediately relaxes when she latches onto the nipple of the bottle. Regina kisses her forehead and rubs her tummy, staring down at her with sweet brown eyes full of love and kindness. Soon Emma’s tears stop, and her sniffles becomes less and farther apart, and her eyes less puffy and her face less red, and her feelings a little less hurt and upset.

“There’s my little girl,” Regina coos, smiling, “My little princess.” She looks up at Ruby. “Do you know how old she is today, Ruby?”

“It’s a safe bet she’s usually four or five, but other than that, Emma slips in and out as she pleases.” Ruby offers plainly. “The bottle’s more for convenience than any indication, and she’s clearly fine with it.”

“Ah.”

Regina turns her attention back to Emma, and rocks her a little, pressing her close. She smiles again.

“There is a silver lining to this visit, you know,” says Regina coyly, “Regardless of what my past is with your Lily, I'm very glad to see she and Ruby clearly take good care of you, my little duckling.”

Emma takes her hand away from her bottle to touch and trace the outline Regina’s soft face, earning her fingers little butterfly kisses, which she giggles at.

Regina pats her tummy. “Drink up. Then we’ll wash your face and go potty, and then it’s off to school with Mommy, okay? Unless you’d rather stay home?” Emma shakes her head. Regina laughs. “I thought so!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> First of all, thank you all _so much_ for being patient with me. School has been BRUTAL, let me tell you what. I’m no good at science, no good at math, decent in English, but def no good at time management, so that’s where all my brain power’s been going to for the last... ten months. Oops.
> 
> I try to upload a oneshot once a month but I haven’t even been able to do that recently so :/ here’s hoping after the finals from hell that’s coming up, things will be more consistent. Again, sorry for such a delay. But better late than never, right?

“Today and all the rest of this week, class, we are going to learn about trust,” says Lucy in her soft voice. “Now, I know what you’re all thinking—each and every one of you!” She wags her finger mock sternly, making a few people, including Emma and Regina, chuckle and giggle. “You’re thinking—‘Lucy! One week is not nearly enough!’ And you are absolutely right!”

Emma fidgets with one of her pigtails, twirling the ends around her finger, as she watches Lucy make her way about the room. She doesn’t have her blankie with her, since Mommy was worried she’d lose it or spill something on it, so she’s having a little bit of a hard time keeping her hands still.

“Trust is something we all need in our lives. Without trust, we would all be afraid, of every one, and every thing, and that’s no way to be, is it? Having trust makes interacting with the world around you feel like a safe thing to do, like you can rely on someone, and have someone rely on you, right?”

She feels a warm hand on hers, and when she turns around, Regina smiles gently at her, and lowers her hand from her hair to her lap. She caresses it with her thumb, and Emma gingerly smiles back.

“Now, today, we are going to be doing some exercises to help you and your partner establish the foundations of trust. We are going to start working on building healthy relationships, so that when you leave this class in two and a half month’s time, you will have a nice little house of trust complete with a balcony, and a pool!”

The class laughs.

“Are we going to have to do the trust fall exercise, Lucy?” Aurora asks from behind Emma’s seat.

Lucy chuckles. “Not just yet, sweetie.”

* * *

The first exercise is slow and calm. Lucy gets everyone to close their eyes.

“No peeking,” she says to all the littles. “Now, I want you to imagine yourself in your happy place. It can be anywhere you want, the beach, your bedroom, at the spa, your call...”

Emma imagines herself in a big playpen where she feels really little. And there’s giant stuffed animals, and lots of yellows, and her friends and mommy and family are there and they’re all happy to see each other. Mom and Dad don’t say mean things about her being little because she’s their baby girl and they love her. Nealy still thinks she’s a good Sissy. Lily and Mommy get along good, and Auntie Mally is happy about that too.

And, of course, Emma has her blankie.

“Now, I want you to imagine your partner is there. You’re holding hands. You are looking into their eyes, and you tell them, ‘this is my happy place, and I’m glad you are here.’ Don’t say it out loud—sshh! This is only in your mind’s eye.

“You say, ‘this is where I go when I need to de-stress. When I need a mental break from the world, and you are here because I want you to be. You are here because I want to share this with you. I trust you.’”

Little Emma says all these things to her Mommy. And Mommy smiles and kisses her and tells her she’s happy to be there with her, in her giant playpen with giant animals and all her family and friends.

Someone snores in the back of the room, and everyone turns to look, breaking the comforting silence with giggles and light laughter.

That concludes that exercise.

* * *

The rest of the exercises require more moving about, leaving little room to think about anything during them, except how best to complete them.

One sees Emma and Aurora and a lot of the other littles with blindfolds, navigating through a small obstacle course the mommies and daddies help Lucy arrange. They stay at the sides of the classroom while the desks, chairs, backpacks, and bags are moved around.

Beside Emma, Aurora giggles. “I wonder what this one’s gonna be!”

“It’ll be fun!” Emma answers gaily, and Aurora giggles some more.

“I bet you’re right!”

The goal of this game is that you have to trust your mommy or daddy to guide you to the other end of the room, but no peeking!

Emma gulps. “I can see where the trust part comes in...” she mumbles.

When it’s her turn, she shakes a little as Lucy guides her to the starting point, but clenches her fists and sucks in a big breath anyway.

“Go, Emma!” Aurora cheers from behind her.

“Emma? Can you hear me?” Regina asks.

Emma nods. “Yes, Mommy.”

“Good. Let’s start with a regular step forward, okay?”

She takes a step forward.

“Good job! Okay, now take two more, and then turn to your left!”

Emma puts her hands out in front of her to feel for a desk or a chair, but finds none. Instead, she feels a backpack by her feet.

“Now take a really big step, lift your leg up high—yes, over the backpack, big step forward! Big step!”

Aurora cheers again, and so do the other littles behind her.

Emma smiles. She’s good at this game!

When it’s her turn to direct Mommy, Emma can’t help bouncing up and down.

“Okay, now take two steps to the right, Regi—no, your other right!! The other—oh, phew. Okay, now, uh... now... come towards my voice, but...”

Mommy walks right into a desk. Emma covers her eyes. Oops.

* * *

Class ends on a good note, with everyone laughing and talking and sharing comments on the last activity.

This time, Emma reaches for Mommy’s hand, and Mommy smiles shyly back.

Lucy gets their attention in the gentle way she does.

“I notice,” she says, “that a lot of you little ones have already started calling your caregivers Mommy, or Daddy, or Big Sister or Brother, or Uncle, Auntie, whatever your fancy is. And caregivers, you might be okay with your little calling you by whatever title you’ve agreed upon.” She waits for the murmurs to stop before continuing.

Emma bites her lip.

She can feel the tears coming.

“While I am super glad you are all eager to get things going between you, I want to remind you not to get too ahead of yourselves, okay? I know this is a very exciting time for most of you, and as a teacher, nothing makes me happier than my students being so enthusiastic about the topic at hand, but! You’ve only just met one another yesterday, and this is an eleven-week course. We have plenty of time to start calling each other Mommy, Baby, Daddy, Princess, all that fun stuff, after we get to know our partners a little more, hm?”

Regina squeezes Emma’s hand, and Emma places her idle hand on top of hers, but doesn’t look at her in case her face is red and gives her away.

“Starting tomorrow, we will begin to cover boundaries. What they are, why they’re important, and what to do when we cross them. There may or may not be skits involved. Sound good?” Lucy claps her hands. “Alright. Have a good day, everyone!”

The room fills with the sound of chairs scraping back and forth, zippers being zipped and unzipped, and the ever-present buzz of murmurs in conversation. Regina lets go of Emma’s hand to get up, crosses to the other side of her, and squats so she can look Emma in the eye without effort.

She smiles softly. “You okay, Duckling?”

Emma smiles a little at the pet name and nods. Regina grabs her red backpack and stands up.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

_Too bad you didn’t bring your blankie._

* * *

The ride home is awkward and quiet. Emma keeps her eyes out the window, occasionally wiping her eyes after hiding behind yawns when she is sure Regina isn’t looking.

_You started it. You called her Mommy first. Pathetic little baby._

“Emma?”

Emma jumps in her seat, and looks up before she can stop herself. A tear rolls down her cheek, and Regina’s already soft expression melts.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Emma nods lots. “Of course! I’m just...” she sniffles, furiously wiping away the tear, “I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

_Liar, liar, pants on fire!_

Regina puts the car on park with a sigh and unbuckles her seatbelt immediately after. She runs a hand over her perfect, short curls, and shakes her head. Then she looks back at Emma, reaches over, and caresses her cheek with the back of her hand.

Emma lets her eagerly.

“This morning has been very hard for you, hasn’t it?” Regina asks, tucking some hair behind Emma’s ear, “Between my thing with Lily, and what Lucy saying at the end of class _clearly_ having more of an effect on you than you’ll admit, I’m not surprised you’d want a nap, little one.”

She chuckles when Emma hides her face in her hands, and takes her own away. Emma peeks at her between her fingers.

She wants to smile back, but her body won’t let her.

Still, she tries to sound like normal, even if she just wants burst into tears and let someone else do the talking. “I’m s-sorry I called you Mommy before... before...”

Her voice gets high and squeaky, and she sobs into her hands. She can feel Regina’s hands on her nearest shoulder, caressing it, before she moves on to pet the crown of her head.

Regina’s hand touches and carefully pried her left hand from her face. “Look here, sweetie.”

Emma shakes her head and keeps her eyes to her lap. Regina sighs.

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t mind being called Mommy early, Emma. I mean, until recently, that’s the only name I usually answered to.” She has a little laugh and a smile in her voice when she says that. “We may not have known each other long, but I know you are careful, Emma. You were feeling upset yesterday, and calling me Mommy was your way of letting me know you felt better, and that’s perfectly fine. You’ve done nothing wrong. You didn’t join this class for the sake of getting into a relationship, did you?”

Emma shakes her head.

_No, you just joined cuz you’re a big fat crybaby and you’re hoping someone else will give a shit about your stupid tears. Selfish brat._

She squeezes her eyes shut tight.

“N-no...”

“I thought not.” Regina says, squeezing her hand and still petting her hair, “I hope you’ll tell me if I’m doing anything you’re not comfortable with, dear.” The hand in her hair stops, and Emma opens her eyes. “Relationships are give-and-take, after all.”

When she finally, _finally_ looks at her, Regina’s smile only widens. She thumbs away another hot tear rolling down Emma’s red cheek, and encourages her to open the glove compartment where a fresh box of tissues and another little water bottle sits all ready for her.

“I don’t deserve a partner as wonderful as you, M—Regina...” Emma whispers, timidly grabbing a few tissues from the box, and Regina chuckles softly.

“That, my dear,” she says, “is the furthest thing from the truth.”

* * *

The driveway is empty today. Ruby’s new job keeps her away, and Lily’s meanness keeps Regina from walking Emma to the door in case she was watching from behind the curtains or something. But Regina does stay until Emma reaches the door, and even blew her a little kiss before reversing and driving away, so it wasn’t all bad.

Taking a few deep breaths, Emma sniffles and tries to calm herself more before she opens the door. She isn’t ready to deal with Lily’s wrath again, big or little, but at least her big self won’t cry about it so easily.

Maybe.

Slowly, she opens the door and tiptoes into the house.

“Welcome home, dear,” says a voice that isn’t Lily’s from the living room.

But sitting in Lily’s spot on the couch, in the same comfortable way, with her hair tied in the same messy bun Lily usually has on when she bothers to do her hair, was her mother.

Mallory Dahlinda.

“Did we have a good day in class, sweetheart?”


End file.
